Central Regional Report: November - December 2014

To find success in any Marketing position, one can follow the simple principles of the 4 P’s of Marketing: Price, Product, Place and Promotion. These marketing philosophies have served as building blocks for Marketing Managers across the globe and can be applied to our business model at gun shows and other events. In our case, the product we offer and the price at which it’s sold are set. So we are going to up-date these principles to include Planning and Presentation since these better suit our goals.

Place: Location, location, location. You must present yourself to everyone in a high-traffic area. The best place is at or outside the front door. Talk to the show promoters about what is best for you. The more members we have the stronger we are and with that strength comes a reduced threat to gun show business.

Planning: Keep a quarterly schedule of all your planned events and make sure you have enough supplies for those events. You should also keep extra supplies in case a last minute opportunity arises. If there is a hole in your schedule, contact me and we will work together to find other recruiting opportunities.

Presentation: From your display and sales tools to your appearance, you must maintain a level of professionalism that exceeds people’s expectations. This may be a person’s first experience walking into our culture and people are more willing to give you their hard earned money when you look and act professional.

Promotion: Gun show promoters have a long-term vested interest in the success of the NRA. This usually gives us leeway and certain privileges not afforded to other vendors. Will the show promoter let you use the PA system to advertise your promotion? Will the promoter allow you to post flyers by the ticket counters? Will the promoter allow you to do Get-In-Free? Work with your promoters to explore these possibilities.

Let’s make the best of the momentum we have right now. I have posted just short of 100 shows to be published in our magazines for the last 2 months of this year. Please let me know if you are looking for shows to attend and we will work together to get you set-up.